Rubio: Franken ‘Should Consider Resigning’ Over Misconduct Allegations

United States Senator Marco Rubio (Republican of Florida), prior to introducing Kirstjen Nielsen during Nielsen's confirmation hearing to be US Secretary of Homeland Security before the US Senate Homeland Security an... United States Senator Marco Rubio (Republican of Florida), prior to introducing Kirstjen Nielsen during Nielsen's confirmation hearing to be US Secretary of Homeland Security before the US Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on November 8th, 2017. Credit: Alex Edelman / CNP - NO WIRE SERVICE - Photo by: Alex Edelman/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Sunday suggested that his colleague, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), should consider resigning over allegations of sexual misconduct.

In an interview with CBS Miami, which was recorded Wednesday but aired Sunday, Rubio said that even the accusations that Franken has admitted to so far should be enough to make him “consider resigning.” But Rubio said he would wait until the completion of an ethics probe before he makes a final judgement.

“I think the allegations against him, many of which he’s admitted, are horrifying, but at this point he’s going to be before the ethics committee and I would say in fairness, he has, although I don’t know, the things he’s already admitted to to be outrageous and offensive and I do think on that alone he should consider resigning,” he said. “But he’s going to go through the same process (as Roy Moore would if he were elected) and there’s going to be evidenced testimony and I think we’ll have to make a decision based on that. And we may end up voting on that.”

Several women have come forward in the past two week, claiming Franken groped them during photos opportunities. One LA radio host said Franken forcibly kissed her when the two were on a USO tour in 2006. She’s also shared a photo that appears to show Franken reaching toward the woman’s breasts while she slept.

Franken has since apologized for the allegations that the radio host, Leeann Tweeden, brought forward and has said he’s sorry that the other women felt “disrespected,” but claims he doesn’t remember the photos. During an interview with a Minnesota TV station on Sunday he couldn’t unequivocally deny that he had ever placed his hand on a woman’s butt during a photo.

When asked whether groping a woman’s butt is grounds for expulsion from the Senate, Rubio said “I believe it is,” especially when it occurs during a person’s Senate term.

“Now we’re saying even before you served in the Senate (and) there’s evidence that you did in the past, thats something we could expel you for,” he said. “And look, everything that’s happening now is an important conversation that’s long overdue in our country about what’s appropriate and … I think it’s a moment of reckoning. A lot of this has been occurring for a long time and for a variety of reasons it never came forward.”

Rubio also had some harsh words for Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, saying he finds the women who have come forward with accusations against Moore to be “credible.” Rubio said if Moore is elected he anticipates Moore “will find himself immediately in an ethics situation or some other hearing where perhaps even more will be revealed.”

“I don’t think anything he’s done or said in the last two weeks has been convincing or effective,” he said.

Multiple women have come forward accusing Moore of pursuing relationships or making inappropriate sexual advances toward them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. One woman said she was only 14-years-old when the alleged misconduct occurred. Moore has denied any wrongdoing.

Watch the interview below:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for rb639 rb639 says:

    I think Marco Rubio should resign for lying about one of his colleagues. Next up, Clarence Thomas and the idiot in the White House.

  2. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    Rubio should be careful here. I highly doubt Franken is the only legislator with such issues. And when a Republican is outed, he’ll backtrack. Also, maybe I missed it but when did he call for the Gropenfuhrer to resign?

  3. “I think the allegations against him, many of which he’s admitted, are horrifying, but at this point he’s going to be before the ethics committee and I would say in fairness, he has, although I don’t know, the things he’s already admitted to to be outrageous and offensive and I do think on that alone he should consider resigning,” he said. “But he’s going to go through the same process (as Roy Moore would if he were elected) and there’s going to be evidenced testimony and I think we’ll have to make a decision based on that. And we may end up voting on that.”

  4. “I think the allegations against him, many of which he’s admitted, are horrifying”


    Unsettling? Yes. Bad? Yes. But horrifying? No. Horrifying is Roy Moore or Donald Trump. Touching butts just isn’t.

  5. When yer russian mobster boss resigns waterboy, …i’m sure Al will consider it.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

68 more replies

Participants

Avatar for halcyan Avatar for daveminnj Avatar for heirball Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for boscobrown Avatar for wombat Avatar for inversion Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for go2goal Avatar for rb639 Avatar for keninmn Avatar for dickweed Avatar for mrf Avatar for pshah Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for howardroarklaughed1 Avatar for tena Avatar for junebug Avatar for floriduh Avatar for primergray Avatar for professorpoopypants Avatar for demyankee Avatar for katscherger Avatar for demosthenes59

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: